1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to a method and an apparatus to provide broadcasting program information on a screen of a digital broadcasting receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
As media environments become an important infrastructure of the modern economy, various stations for conventional terrestrial broadcasting, cable broadcasting, internet television (TV) broadcasting, etc. have been established. In the case of digital broadcasting, program information generated by broadcast stations are provided by using either a program and system information protocol (PSIP) or a network if the PSIP cannot be used, and TVs analyze the program information and provide the analyzed information as tables to users. The program information is referred to as electronic program guide (EPG) information, and users can obtain information regarding currently broadcast programs and programs to be broadcast in the future by browsing the EPG information.
Accordingly, modern TVs provide EPG screens so that users can obtain program information with respect to each channel, and thus methods of effectively using EPG information are researched in various ways, regardless of whether in the hardware field or in the software field. For example, the main reasons users refer to EPG information are being analyzed. Accordingly, it has been determined that the most important information to users is information regarding programs currently being broadcast and programs to be broadcast next, rather than information regarding all programs, and such information should be provided via a user-friendly interface with minimum viewing interruption. However, most conventional EPG screens fail to satisfy these requirements, and other EPG screens only provide limited information regarding current channels.